Era

Stewart 265

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The 265 design was based on the Ryan ST and Don Stewart wanted the airplane to be in his favourite category, which included the Champ, Chief, Cub and all the rest of the 65-85 HP clan. The problem was that there was no engine available that fit the concept at the time.

A publicity release in 1993 for the Mikron III answered my need for the engine and he got down to work and finished the design work on what’s become the 265. Two people, sixty five horse power.

By December 2007, the airplane has over one hundred hours of good service with no problems other than making some new fiberglass parts to remove weight. The airplane cruises at about 90 MPH, stalls about 40 and handles very nicely. The engine burns 3.7 USgph.

Drawings were not for sale.

Stewart Headwind / JD1HW1.7 / SAC-1VW

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The prototype Headwind N8667E was built over a period of 5 months and was first flown on March 28, 1962.

Dec 1973

The Headwind is described as an extremely simple airplane of steel tubing construction for the fuselage and tail. The wings are two wood spars with either sawed plywood or formed aluminum ribs. All the fittings are flat, and only two of them require any preassembly. The engine bolts directly to the front of the fuselage, saving a separate engine mount. A 36- to 65-hp VW engine is used. The Headwind was the first design to use the Volkswagen engine in the United States and much development work was required to get the engine to it’s full potential as an aircraft engine. The most important development in the engine work was the design and patenting of a propeller speed reducing unit (PSRU) to allow the engine to develop it’s full horsepower. Many structural (to simplify and make it easier to build) and aerodynamic improvements have been made to the design so that now the only part of the original design still used is the engine mount and the portion of the fuselage between the cockpit and the stabilizer. Everything else is new.

In the forty some years that the Headwind has been in existence, many examples have been built all over the world. Well over one hundred airplanes are now in service powered by a variety of engines, however, only the Volkwagen engine is shown on the plans. No other engine data is published.

Approved Maneuvers:
Steep turns ( 60 degree bank ) Entry – Cruise
Lazy Eight ” – 85 mph
Chandelle ” – 85 mph
Spin ( one turn ) ” – Stall
Maximum aft limit for spins 14.8″

Headwind B

Wing Span 28′ 3″
Length 17′ 0″
Height ( tail down ) 5′ 9″
Gross Wt. 760 lb
Empty Wt. 450 lb
Fuel capaci¬ty: 6 USG
Vno 80 – 85 mph
Vne 110 mph
Vso 38-42 mph
R of C 650 fpm 1st minute
T.O. distance ( 0 wind ) 300′
Landing run ( 0 wind no brakes ) 400′
Endurance 2 hours
Range 195sm
Stabilizer Span 7′ 7″
Wheel Track 5′ 2 1/2″
Wheel Base 13′ 6″
Wing Area 110.95 sq.ft
Ailerons ( eff. area ) 14.83 sq.ft
Fin 2.17 sq.ft
Rudder 4.17 sq.ft
Stabilizer 7.00 sq.ft
Elevator 9.54 sq.ft

Headwind B
Cruise: 85 mph
Stall: 40 mph
Range: 200 sm
Rate of climb: 650 fpm
Takeoff dist: 300 ft
Landing dist: 400 ft
Engine: VW, 53 hp
Fuel capacity: 7 USG
Empty weight: 435 lb
Gross weight: 750 lb
Length: 17 ft
Wing span: 28-3 ft
Wing area: 110 sq.ft
Seats: 1
Cockpit width: 23-25 in
Landing gear: tailwheel
LSA: yes

Stewart Foo Fighter JD2FF

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The Foo Fighter was designed and built in 1967 by Don Stewart and Tom Raybourn, Mohawk Airline pilots, and inspired by the Alcock A-1, a World War I war bird that resembles the Sopwith Pup. One distinguishing feature of the Foo Fighter is its lower wing that crosses below the fuselage, aft of the gear, and attaches on the centerline. The airframe is built from steel tubing and covered with fabric. Originally, a Falcon 200 six cylinder CID auto engine was installed, but a 130-hp Franklin Sport Four can also be used. It was first flown in 1970 with a PSRU but the engine proved to be too heavy for the power provided and the airplane was modified to use a Franklin “Sport Four” of 130 HP.

Dec 1973

This engine went out of production and so the airplane was once again redesigned to accept any of the four cylinder Lycoming engines from the O235 up to the O320 series. It is a very docile sport airplane that offers limited aerobatic capabilities.

The prototype was registered N2123.

Engine: Franklin Sport 4, 130 hp
Gross Wt. 1100 lb
Empty Wt. 720 lb
Fuel capacity 19 USG
Wingspan 20’8”
Length 18’9”
Top speed 145 mph
Cruise 115 mph
Stall 45 mph
Climb rate 1200 fpm
Takeoff run 450 ft
Landing roll 550 ft
Range 345 sm

Stewart, Donald / Stewart Aircraft Corp

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1961: Donald Stewart, Oconto WI., USA

Stewart Aircraft was formed in 1961 when the Headwind was designed. The name “Headwind” was derived as a bit of fun by naming it the opposite of the Whitman “Tailwind”, a very fast, two place cabin airplane. The Headwind is constructed from steel tube, wood and fabric and is a combination of several designs and concepts developed over a period of several years previous to building the airplane.

1963: Stewart Aircraft Corp, Menominee MI., USA

1977: Salem OH. USA

1980: 11420 Route 165, Salem, OH 44460, USA.